


Whispers in the dark

by Astyan



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Abandoned Worlds, Gen, Minor Injuries, Not Beta Read, Possession, Post Mandalorian Civil War, Sith Temples (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:54:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27263068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astyan/pseuds/Astyan
Summary: Sometimes we keep our past buried for a reason
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Original Character(s), Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	Whispers in the dark

**Author's Note:**

> For day 5 of Spooky Star Wars: Ancient Enemies

_Kill you? Why would we wish for that, little one?_

The voice’s tone turned deceptively soft

_Death is a fleeting moment of horror before you feel the relief of passing. No, what we want, little one…_

_Is for you to **live**_

Those words, spoken with such tender kind of care - sounded more terrifying than any threat could have

_Live. Let the life twist you, break you, scar you_

Unseen hands, cold and dry, carded idly through his mattered hair. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the limb from his head. The only thing he succeeded in was drawing a rattling laugh from the entity

 _Fear not_ the words came in a small puff of air near his ear, forcing the boy to shiver against his will

_We will be with you every step of the way_

***

They have made a stop on their way back from Mandalore. Obi-Wan remembered that much. He remembered his Master landing their shuttle onto a small planet. Located at the very edge of Mandalorian space, it was a barren, desolate place. Another unwitting casualty of ~~Dral’Han~~ The Excision several centuries prior.

But, according to Master Qui Gon, it would have been a waste not to take the (possibly) only chance they had to come here. Force knew when Mandalore would open their borders to Republic or Jedi again

He provided little in matter of reasoning. Just a few tales he came across during recon for their mission to protect House Kryze. A small snippet from a journal that recorded a Shadow’s mission. A legend from a local tribe on a planet just beyond the border of Mandalorian space. Barely enough to go by, but enough to tease the curiosity of someone like Qui-Con Jinn

Both spoke of a structure buried deep beneath the planet’s surface. Both spoke of the strange people that dwelled within it; but in the nature of the people, the tales diverged

***

The stone was rough and gritty beneath his feet as he ran down the tunnel. There was no light to point him to the way out – all he had to rely on was his bond to his Master, and even that felt strained

The phantom brushes against his body never abated. Yet, the whispers seemed quieter, distracted, unintelligible now

The hit against the stone was sudden. Obi-Wan’s face flared with a bright-burn of pain as he fell back, stunned with surprise. But there was no time to dwell on that. Ignoring the ache in his body, he pushed himself up. His steps slower this time, he felt around the surface of the wall that was _not supposed to be there_

Deep in the recesses of his mind, he felt the bond between Qui-Gon and him strain further;

And for a second, he despaired: his Master would not leave him here, would he? 

***

The tribe spoke of spirits that were not spirits. They spoke of tribesman taken away, not to be heard from again. They wove talismans and kept them close to their hearts. The fate their shamans foreseen for those spirited away was not kind. No one wished to become one of them.

The Shadow dismissed the tales. In the journal, he spoke of Force sensitives isolated within their enclave. Insular and secretive, they provided neither shelter nor words for the Shadow. The Shadow left shortly after; his mission would not permit him to sate his curiosity

“The land falls silent as I reach the courtyard. The people I saw within are no different – they watch, but they do not speak. My words fell on deaf ears; but my steps did not. I was not permitted to venture closer to the gates I could see in the distance. I was not harmed: but every being present seemed to flow together to form a living wall between us”  
  


***

Obi Wan’s hands were trembling as they found no grip in the stone. He was almost tempted to turn back and search for another path out – but his Master should be this way. He was sure of it

His hands froze as Obi Wan realized his breath was coming out in short, panicked draws. He paused to steel himself. The attempted to collect his feelings and release them withing the Force did not come easy. And it helped, if only just.

Letting out a long exhale, he hid his face in his palms. With clarity came a sluggish, slow realization. Something wet was trickling onto his skin. A light press of the fingers made him hiss – it seems, on the impact, he managed to split his brow. And like any head wound, it was generous in the amount of blood it spewed

Great

Grimacing, Obi Wan took a step back and gave the wall in front of him one last cursory pat. It seemed he would have to turn back and –

Something shifted. The wall in front of him rumbled and started to slide down

_Clever little one, aren’t you?_

The shove was sudden and unexpected

With a yell, Obi-Wan flew forward. And then…

Darkness

***

“I have not seen any of them enter, as I took my leave. Perhaps, they wished to keep something in as well"

***

That was the last thing Obi-Wan remembered before waking up in their shuttle. Qui-Gon was not pleased with him “wandering off”. It did not matter how much Obi-Wan swore he was never more than a step away from his Master in their descent. He made no secret of it as he briskly tended to his padawan’s headwound

The atmosphere on the way back to Coruscant was tense. Their only consolation prize for the trip was a defunct holocron. A meager one, in his Master’s words.

The pyramid’s surface was dull and worn. For all it looked just like dozens of Sith holocrons hidden deep within the Temple archives, it felt nothing like one. It was there physically but just wasn’t… There, in the Force.

It lay out near Obi-Wan’s body, when Qui-Gon found him not far from the complex entrance

When questioned about it, the younger man could tell his Master nothing; he had no memory of finding it

***

Qui-Gon’s dissatisfaction with Obi-Wan grow no lesser on their return to the temple. When all the reports on the Mandalore missions were done and submitted, Qui-Gon petitioned to have the holocron checked. Begrudgingly, the approval was granted.

There was a team assembled, of Jedi experienced in dealing with Sith artifacts

Master Tholme, Quinlan shared with him one evening, was among them. They were preparing a room deep within the Jedi Temple, where nothing would reach the main halls should the worst happen. That was as much as Quinlan knew

It was more than Qui-Gon shared with his padawan.

_Busy, oh so busy. Don’t worry, little one_

A phantom brush washed against Obi-Wan’s temple, over a small, hard scar-like bulge hidden within under layers of his red hair

_We don’t want them. We promised we’ll stay with you, didn’t we?_  
  


***

For all the preparations, all the precautions taken, the whole event seemed to be for naught. The sides of the holocron slid open. And the insides, unlike the weathered exterior, were preserved – not a wire out of place. But the capstone… The capstone remained dull. 

Not even using a spare power core helped – the knowledge repository stayed silent

On his return to their shared rooms, Qui-Gon Jinn bypassed his waiting apprentice. He spared not a word to him

Steeling himself, Obi Wan kept his head down over the holopad he was working with in the common room.

It should not have hurt so much

***

_Is that what they are teaching you these days, little one?_

_It was once sai_ _d_ _that both of our orders needed change. We did not realize, that the change they would seek would diminish us so_

_Never fear, little one. We will teach you what they failed to. We will not hold the knowledge back from you. Clever, clever little one – you would do better, yes?_

_We won’t have you fade into their mediocrity_

_What kind of Master would we be, not to insure our legacy flourishes?_

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully I did not omit too much from the story for it to make sense
> 
> The Spooky Week collection has truly been an inspiration. Been a while, though. I could almost feel the rust falling off my fingers


End file.
